| Frontline leaders play a key role in helping management to comply with safety laws |
Employers are required
to operate within safety limits set by a labyrinth of laws and regulations
governing workplace safety.
In practice those in direct leadership positions, including supervisors
and team leaders, are directly involved in meeting
their employers' safety obligations.
If you are in a supervisory position you must
- know the laws and regulations that apply to
activities carried out under your direction;
- make sure that the work site is, and remains
in compliance with applicable laws;
- analyze the work under your supervision to
identify potential hazards;
- make sure that those who report to you receive
suitable safety training for their work responsibilities;
- make sure that your team members are protected
from recognized workplace hazards by means of engineered protective
devices, administrative options and personal protective equipment;
- see that team members work in ways that do
not conflict with
the law;
- in a general sense, see that team members
work safely, in accordance with management's responsibility to
furnish employees with employment and a place of employment that
is "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are
likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees".
All the above place a heavy responsibility
on front-line leaders.
Safety and health program management guidelines
All employers are obliged to maintain programs
that provide policies and procedures to protect their employees
from job-related safety and health hazards.
An effective program looks beyond specific requirements of law to
prevent all workplace injuries and illnesses. The program should
include the four elements of management commitment and employee
involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and
safety and health training.
Management Commitment and Employee Involvement
Management commitment and employee involvement
form the core of an occupational safety and health program. Management
provides the motivating force and needed resources. Workers express
their own commitment to safety and health protection for themselves
and for their fellow workers.
Some recommended actions are:
- state clearly a worksite policy on safe and
healthful work and working conditions
- provide visible top management involvement
- hold managers, supervisors, and employees accountable
for meeting their safety responsibilities.
Worksite Analysis
Management actively analyzes the work and
worksite with safety
in mind.
Recommended actions:
- conduct comprehensive
baseline worksite surveys for safety
and health
- analyze new facilities, processes, materials,
and equipment
- perform routine job hazard analysis
- conduct regular site safety and health
inspections
- assess risk factors of ergonomic applications
to workers’ tasks
- encourage employees to notify management
about unsafe conditions without fear or reprisal
- investigate accidents and "near
miss" incidents
- analyze injury and illness trends over
time.
Hazard Prevention and Control
Where feasible, workplace hazards are prevented
by effective
design of the job site or job. Where it is not feasible to eliminate
such hazards, they must be controlled to prevent unsafe and unhealthful
exposure.
Recommended actions:
- use appropriate engineering techniques
- establish safe work practices and procedures,
and ensure compliance through training, positive reinforcement,
correction
of unsafe performance, and if necessary, enforcement through a
clearly communicated disciplinary system
- provide personal protective equipment when
engineering controls are not feasible
- use administrative controls, such as reducing
the duration of exposure
- maintain the facility and equipment to prevent
equipment breakdowns
- plan and prepare for emergencies, and conduct
training and emergency drills, as needed, to ensure that proper
responses to emergencies will be "second nature" for
all persons involved
- establish a medical program that includes
first aid on-site as well as nearby physician and emergency medical
care to reduce the risk of any injury or illness that occurs.
Safety and Health Training
Training is an essential component of an
effective safety and health program.
Employee Training
All employees must understand and be aware
of the hazards to which they may be exposed and the proper methods
for avoiding such hazards.
Supervisory Training
Supervisors should be trained to understand
the key role they play in job site safety. Supervisors must be trained
to:
- analyze the work under their direction
to identify actual and potential hazards
- maintain physical protection in their
work areas
- reinforce employee training through
continual performance feedback and, if necessary, through enforcement
of safe
work practices
- understand their safety and health responsibilities.
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